Student Filmmakers’ Association

Meadows Chamber Music Honors Concert: The chamber music program presents a dynamic, varied, passionate performance of jury-selected wind, brass, piano and string ensembles. Come hear these students showcasing the results of a semester of intense, peer-driven collaborative work. The event is on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m in Caruth Auditorium and is free and open to the public.

Is Forensic Science an Oxymoron?: Forensic science evidence (e.g., fingerprints, DNA, microscopic hair, & bite marks) is widely believed to provide powerful proof of identity in both criminal and civil trials. But in recent years, forensic scientists in some areas have been taken to task for overclaiming, failing to test their assumptions, and neglecting to explain to judges and jurors how the risk of error affects the value of reported matches. Solutions will be explored by professor Jonathan Koehler, professor at Northwestern University School of Law, on Monday, Dec. 7 at 12:15 p.m. This event will be in 153 Heroy Halland is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. R.S.V.P. at lawandstatistics.eventbrite.com or 214-768-3527.

The Science of Listening to Music: On Monday, Dec. 7, Professor Elizabeth Margulis, director of the Music Cognition Lab at the University of Arkansas, will examine the interface between science and music by using a series of the Lab’s recent experiments. The event will begin at 4:30 p.m. in 2020 Owen Arts Center. For more information, click here.

Student Film Association Fall Film Festival: The Student Filmmakers’ Association will host their annual fall film festival showcasing the best recent short works created by SMU students. The festival is free and open to the public and will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Angelika Film Center in Mockingbird Station.

Paws and Take a Break: A team of registered therapy dogs from the A New Leash on Life group will visit the Taubman Atrium on Wednesday, Dec. 9, hosted by Hamon Arts Library. Research has shown that spending 5-24 minutes with a calm dog reduces blood pressure and the levels of stress hormones in the body. Come visit with a certified therapy dog from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.!

• Meadows Opera Theatre explores the eternal battle between good and evil in its annual Halloween Opera Free For All. This year’s theme, “Singing Saints and Sinners,” features Meadows School of the Arts students performing scenes from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera and Bizet’s Carmen. The free event begins at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1 in the Bob Hope Theatre Lobby, Owen Arts Center. For more information, call the Meadows Division of Music, 214-768-1951.

‘Heretical’ exhibition: SMU’s Bridwell Library adds to their already large stable of exhibits as a new research piece on Medieval censorship, Heresy and Error: The Ecclesiastical Censorship of Books, 1400-1800, continues today. Contained within the exhibit are damaged and censored texts from the mid-1500s, when censor-heavy religious groups such as the Council of Trent sought to expurge and control all information related to the Church. (Pictured right, an example from Erasmus: In Novum Testamentum.) The exhibit operates within normal Bridwell Library hours, which can be found here and will run through Dec. 17. For more information, visit the Bridwell Library site or call 214-768-3483.

Brazil’s history in pictures: Meadows’ Comini Lecture Series continues with a look at the rapid modernization of Brazil during the Roaring ’20s and its effects not only on the nation itself but on geographer and explorer Alexander H. Rice, who is the subject of the lecture’s two documentaries. Culled together from 1924-25 footage, these records paint two contrasting pictures of Rice’s journey and paint a picture of how Brazil quickly rose from colony to an epicenter of industrialization in South America. The lecture is at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Bob Hope Theatre. Admission is free, but reservations are required. For more information, call 214-768-2698; for reservations call 214-768-2787 (214-SMU-ARTS).

Return of the celluloid: The Student Filmmakers’ Association will hold its bi-annual Film Fest Oct. 1. Works are culled from across SMU’s diverse Cinema-Television family, with works ranging from conventional drama, comedy and documentary to experimental and animation. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the O’Donnell Auditorium, Owen Arts Center, and is free and open to the public. For more information, call 214-768-2129.

Among the student films on the schedule are “Crazy Pig” and “Split,” which were showcased at the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival earlier in April. The SFA will also screen some of its newest productions. Awards will be given to the best films in 7 different categories.